Center of Attention// (The Zodiacs)

"You're welcome," Alaric replied with a grin and Leila gave him a teasing annoyed look. Focusing back to the others, Leila watched as guilt clouded Casl's features and he began to stutter, unwilling to meet her eyes. Leila, suppressing the wave of guilt surging up in herself, waited with an unwavering gaze. "I...uh..." Casl began, "I mean, I won't. I promise." Leila hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to react to Casl's words. Growing up in a district where the main thought on anyone's mind was the Games and who was prepared and who wasn't. Promises, Leila found, were normally broken and she had grown used to it over time. One look at Casl's sincere eyes and Leila felt her resolve wavering. Darn him for being so easy to read, Leila mentally groaned as she easily saw how truly guilty and sincere he was. Of course, Leila knew that her practice in observing and picking up traits in people also made his body language more prominent to her. I must be an idiot for trusting this promise.. she trailed off mentally.

Leila opened her mouth to reply when she was cut off by one of the others. "Maybe for the night, but only cause he had the courage to talk to me instead of hiding in the ocean" came Rosalita's voice and Leila glanced at her. I knew that would hit a nerve Leila thought as she recalled Casl's comment to Rosalita and Beck. "Besides, looks like you found someone more your speed." At this comment, Leila felt a confused look flash across her face in a how does this involve me? sort of way. The look quickly vanished as Leila spied a smile directed towards her from Rosalita. Sending a small smile back to show she had gotten the message, Leila turned her attention back to the glaring match between Beck and Casl.

"So.." came Alaric's voice and Leila's gaze flickered momentarily to find him shifting awkwardly, obviously unsure how to break the tension. Leila couldn't help the small smile at how unsure her old friend looked. Focusing back to the other two boys, Leila noticed that Casl had kept his attention mostly focused on her. Why isn't he reacting? Leila wondered to herself as Casl simply clenched his fist with each jab Rosalita took. An unconscious smile pulled at Leila's lips as she realized he was trying to not be as cocky as before. Maybe I'm not such a moron for trusting in his promise.

"Last I checked, you came and found me in the ocean anyway" Casl finally replied with a smooth face. Leila didn't recall seeing the two meet in the ocean, but she finally decided it must have been while she was distracted. Leila caught a wink Casl sent Rosalita's way and she internally sighed. Don't tell me he's going to get cocky again... she groaned to herself when his next words pulled her up short. "And I've just found someone nicer to talk to" Casl finished before turning back to Leila. The unsure look Casl sent Leila quickly assured her that he hadn't meant to use her in that comment. Leila sent him a small smile to show she wasn't upset anymore as Alaric finally said, "What'd I miss?"

"Oh nothing, just roid-rage over there being his typical cocky-ass self." Beck sneered, pulling Leila's attention to him. Leila couldn't help the frown that replaced her smile as she glanced at the cocky Career boy who was practically radiating with confidence. Tensing up, Leila waited for Casl to bite back at the other boy's comment. "Steroids? Sounds like someone's been checking me out, and he's a little jealous too" Casl said, sending another glare to Beck, but Leila could see the amusement in his face.

When his attention returned to her, Leila gave him a quick smile. "You're forgiven. But you better keep that promise," she warned, using her eyes to tell him she was trusting him, but if he lost that trust, he may not get it back. Pushing her semi wet hair out of the way, Leila sat down on a rock and motioned for Rosalita to sit if she wanted. "This might take a while," Leila told her with an eye roll and pointed look at the guys standing next to them, still in the middle of their glaring match. "You guys do know that staring at each other won't make the other burst into flames, right?" Leila directed towards the boys although from the intensity of the glares, one would think it was possible. Leila felt another smile flash across her face as she slowly became more comfortable around the group. I just hope they don't take this much further, Leila found herself worrying. After all, Career boy fights normally left more than just a bruise or small scratch.

"Oh nothing, just roid-rage over there being his typical cocky-ass self." Beck said. Alaric laughed, partially because the joke had a bit of truth. Casl Warren’s muscles were a lot bigger than his own or Beck’s, he’d admit that. But they were a little too big, a bit freakish and overly bulky. Alaric was glad his biceps didn’t look like that. He liked his muscles the way they were, about as large as Beck’s but not too big. Big enough that girls would notice but not so huge that the other guys would think they were gross. But Casl probably didn’t use steroids, even Beck had to know that. They were probably too expensive for Casl to afford.

"Steroids? Sounds like someone's been checking me out, and he's a little jealous too,” Casl said to Beck with a snigger. He glared back at Beck, and Alaric wondered if the two thought that they had laser vision or something. If they did have it, it obviously wasn’t working. Then Casl looked at Leila and she smiled at him, saying something Alaric didn’t hear. He seriously needed to get his ears checked or something.

Beck was surely looking at Casl like he wanted to kill him. And he probably did at least want to fight him. Beck could be a little over reactive at times. Maybe he shouldn’t be so possessive of Rosalita, but then again Casl was being a real jerk too. Alaric felt again like he had come into the conversation too late, and he wished he knew what the hell was going on. He felt kind of like a third wheel in the whole Beck/Casl glaring thing that they had going. Oh, well.

Leila sat on a rock. “This might take a while,” he heard her say. Then she looked at the guys, and Alaric stepped a little to the side, which was sort of Alaric body language-talk for “I’m not part of this fight so don’t blame me.” He usually stayed on the DL when it came to Beck’s fights, but he’d occasionally throw in some insults and such here or there just to show that he was on Beck’s side. "You guys do know that staring at each other won't make the other burst into flames, right?" she said sarcastically. Alaric chuckled at the thought of Casl spontaneously combusting.

"You'd be surprised how nice naughty girls like me can be."Rosie called over to Casl. "Besides, I've never had any complaints." She looked over to Beck, "And I don't have a feeling its going to start today." Alaric didn’t buy Rosie’s whole seductive act. He didn’t go for girls like that, who were out to get what they wanted and to leave you in the dust when they got it. She was obviously playing a game, and Alaric didn’t really want to be a part of it. Not that he thought Rosalita was a bad person, really; he always at least tried to see the good in people and he knew Rosie probably had a good-girl side. It just wasn’t often that he saw it. She waved Leila over. "Hey you, I'm Rosalita. You know Alaric right? Come say hi." He felt kind of bad for Leila; she seemed a little annoyed by the whole situation, and he could tell she was seeing right through Rosalita's game.

”Yeah, I know Leila. And hey Rosie, long time no see,” he said. ”And no, Beck, I think you’re wrong. Casl isn’t using steroids; he was just born that freakishly disgusting.” He smirked, playing along. He didn’t want to really get into the fight, but why pass up a good opportunity to crack a few jokes on Casl’s behalf?[/color]

Relief
"You're forgiven. But you better keep that promise," With Leila's words he felt himself relax; Casl's head had felt like it was burning and now he could finally begin to think clearer. And when she smiled, Casl was elated. She was stern, sensible, and level-headed; she had, intentionally or not, found out that the easiest way to get Casl to do anything was to have a girl kindly tell him what to do. It was instinctive for Casl; his mother had raised him that way and he responded obediently just out of reflex. But with that smile, she stepped away from his side and his gaze returned to Beck, his momentary satisfaction vanishing to be replaced by the stone glare look he sent Beck's way.

Distraction

"You guys do know that staring at each other won't make the other burst into flames, right?" Casl cracked half a smile at that one, but he managed to hold in a chuckle. She was right, each had made it abundantly clear that they weren't going to cede an inch in this confrontation. "But if I could... That guy would totally be on fire right now," Casl thought to himself, amused by the idea. "Wait. No. Focus... Beck. Not heat vision." Casl routinely had to bring himself back to the present, he was easily distracted and couldn't always help himself; he liked things that made him smile or laugh. Before he could even regain his serious composure, the other female voice interjected. Rosalita's words came out as smoothly as they always did: "You'd be surprised how nice naughty girls like me can be." Casl didn't want to hear anything she had to say, her comment about courage still had him livid and the sound of her voice only made it that much fresher in his memory. Casl tried his best to remain calm for the sake of what he said to Leila, but he couldn't help himself. He didn't even hear the words Rosalita said to Beck, or what she said to Leila either, he had already opened his mouth: "I actually don't think I would be very surprised, and in a few minutes I don't think pretty-boy will be either." Casl paused deliberately, "You need to leave something to the imagination in order to surprise anyone." Casl shrugged his shoulders as he spoke coldly; the words were blunt and said and matter-of-factly. If Casl was better with words he could have made a subtle jab back to Rosalita; instead, he had hardly managed to not use the word 'slut.' Oops. That was bad. Casl made the realization two sentences too late, and he was too stubborn to take it back now.

Headstrong

Casl had a bad habit of picking and choosing people to respect, and belittling anyone who didn't meet his criteria. Rosalita was gorgeous and seductive, but between her words to Casl and attaching herself to Beck she had put herself out of reach. From his experience, Casl could only steal a girl who wanted to be stolen. Casl would chase after a girl all day and all night, but he did not waste time on someone who made themself unavailable. He had been called simple-minded, but he needed to see the prize in order to fight for it. The silence was broken as an unfamiliar voice chimed in: ”And no, Beck, I think you’re wrong. Casl isn’t using steroids; he was just born that freakishly disgusting.” It was Alaric, deciding that now was an appropriate time to take a cheap shot at Casl too. Casl's eyes snapped to the source of the insult, and they locked on Alaric. The boy needed to be put in his place. "I dare you to say that when pretty-boy isn't here to protect you." Again, Casl's message was very clear: Unless you can back up your trash talk all by yourself, shut up and stay out of this. Casl never had a reason to dislike Alaric, and even still Casl would probably forget that comment by the time he ate dinner. The jabs at his personal appearance still hit home though. Casl was by no means lean like the rest of the swimmers in District 4; he would easily fit in with the larger Careers of District 1 and 2, and by extension he felt like he didn't always fit in with his own district. Casl had decided that he had more of a team mentality than Beck; most, if not all of Casl's remarks had been meant to incense competition, to challenge others. Beck, on the surface, had simply meant to put down. Casl often trained more in a group and always had in the back of his mind to push his peers. They, in turn, pushed him even higher to the apex of the ever-improving group. Beck's approach was different: dominate everything in sight; he was ruthless, and the best at what he did. Often Casl wished he had a bit more of that mentality, it would prove useful if he were ever actually in the Arena. These different talents, temperaments, and convictions had only spurred their rivalry even more.

Breaking Point

Casl didn't wait for a response from Alaric, and his eyes flicked back to Beck. In the back of his mind, he worried about what Leila thought. He justified his harshness by telling himself he had kept his promise and not brought her into anything, though he felt like she would have wanted him to have reacted differently. Casl didn't often second-guess himself, but he felt obligated to his promise to her. He wasn't given much time to reevaluate himself when Beck opened his mouth to return fire: "See, Warren. As usual, I come out on top. I pierce the heart and I get the girl. Things haven't changed since we were kids." Casl knew the allusion he had made, and he couldn't help but smile. Casl loved competition. Beck thought he was the best at everything, and his confidence was impenetrable. Likewise, Casl woke up every morning and felt invincible. You had to if you were a Career, believing in your own weaknesses only amplified them. If everyday you decided that you were going to be the best, one day you would be. Then Beck turned his back, and something snapped in Casl. You only ever turned your back on someone you didn't respect, someone you didn't regard as even the slightest threat, or both. Beck was talented, maybe even the best, at a huge portion of the repertoire of a Career. He was always among the top in running, swimming, climbing, and had killer instincts. Put any sort of weapon in Beck's hands, be it a sword, spear, or a 4-inch knife, and he would best Casl 7 times out of 10. Maybe more on a good day. But Casl had been born with gifts too, though more brutish in nature. Size, strength, and a competitive fire that could not be put out. When pit against any unarmed opponent, Casle had never lost. Right now, Casl felt as if the spotlight was on him to decide if he would accept the blatant show if disrespect from Beck. Casl felt a slight surge of adrenaline as he took his first step toward his adversary; he always performed best under pressure. "You might be the best with a spear, Arlyn," Casl began, "or a knife, trident, sword, net, rope, axe, anything you put in your hands, really," images of how Beck was equally lethal with all the weapons he had just mentally listed flashed through Casl's mind as Beck came within arm's reach. Casl spoke with less volume, but much more intensity now, "but there aren't any spears here for you today." Nothing, in fact. Casl finished the sentence in his head and with two fingers, tapped Beck's shoulder to let him know just how close just he had come. Any sort of unwelcome contact was usually enough to set off trained reflexes as sharp as Beck's. Just you and me. Casl smirked as a small grin crossed his lips, eager for Beck's reaction.

I stood there smirking as Rosalita let Casl have it. She was spitting fire in his direction, inflicting pain with every word that escaped her mouth. And, oooh, was that a slap across the face? I was beginning to like this girl more and more by the second, even beyond her amazing body. I knew I had her and there was no chance that Casl was going to steal her, not that I was every really threatened. So no sweat, right?

That's when I felt the tap of two fingers on my shoulders. Instinctively, without even giving a moment's thought, my hand shot behind my back, grabbing his wrist, and I spun around, looping my extended leg in a wide arc. My leg caught Casl's ankles from behind, and with the velocity of my spin, his feet left the ground, sending his over sized body crashing down, flat on his back. I jumped up and backing away, assessed the situation. I noticed every object within a hundred foot radius, every curve of the dunes and divot in the sand. Now I was in battle mode. I hadn't meant to start a fight, but my instincts weren't about to let him punch me in the back of the head or something. With his strength, I could've been knocked out. But what I did couldn't be undone. Maybe it was what I was hoping for anyway by turning my back.

"C'mon, Warren. You should've taken the chance to finish me with my back turned. Might've been your only chance to win. Now, it's on," I sneered at Casl, who was still momentarily stunned from the impact with the ground. I waited for him to get up so he could try to counter. I always made the first move, that's just my personality. But one thing was for sure, it was on.

((oh yeah i forgot. sorry, wont happen again))

Right after he said it, he knew he shouldn’t have. It only made things worse, and he saw it in the flash of anger in Casl’s eyes. Alaric felt Leila’s hand at his elbow, pulling him back after the insult, as if she were afraid he’d get slugged or something. "I dare you to say that when pretty-boy isn't here to protect you,” Casl threatened, and Alaric tensed up automatically. That hit hard. Alaric might follow Beck around a lot, but that didn’t mean he was dependent on him. He was a career too, and he was sure that if it ever came to a fight between him and Casl, he’d have a good chance. He was almost as strong as Beck, and he was pretty smart, too. Beck didn’t rule him, he wasn’t some kind of sidekick. Alaric hung out with him because he was his best friend, not because he needed protection.

"I actually don't think I would be very surprised, and in a few minutes I don't think pretty-boy will be either," Casl said to Rose. "You need to leave something to the imagination in order to surprise anyone." Alaric nearly winced; he knew Rosalita wouldn’t take that well. He had pretty much just called her a total ho. Even though Alaric didn’t always think Rosie acted like a nice girl, he believed all women deserved some degree of respect. Casl had no right to talk to her like that, in his opinion. Alaric’s mom had always told him not to judge a person until you’ve walked in their shoes.

"This is not going to end well," Leila said quietly to him as she stepped forward, and he knew it was the truth. Then Beck taunted again, "See, Warren. As usual, I come out on top. I pierce the heart and I get the girl. Things haven't changed since we were kids." That probably hurt. It was true; it wasn’t often that Beck lost, and when he did lose, it wasn’t without a good fight. Something flashed in Casl’s eyes, and he said, "You might be the best with a spear, Arlyn, but there aren't any spears here for you today." He said it so slowly, and not even that loudly, but the fury inside Casl’s words almost made Alaric take a step back.

Leila looked at Alaric desperately, a pleading and helpless look that screamed “Do something!” She had never been someone to enjoy fights, he knew. She was ever the peacemaker. "Are you two just going to let them beat the sense out of each other?" She pleaded, looking from the boys and then back to Alaric. "Are you just going to stand there?" It seemed like she really wanted him to step in and say something, but Alaric really didn’t want to get into it. He realized now that his earlier comment had been uncalled for, and that he shouldn’t have said it. He looked back to Leila and her pleading eyes, and sighed. He had to say something to cool them down, or he could at least try.

He stepped up. “Guys, chill. No need to get worked up about stuff. We don’t want anyone to get hurt here-“ he said softly, pushing his palms toward the ground in a “turn it down” motion and glancing from Leila to Rosie. He could see Rosalita wanted them both to fight, but Leila obviously was not enjoying herself. He looked from Casl and then to Beck, his eyes saying, “Really?”. Ending this wasn’t going to be easy. [/color]

((I'm going to be in New York this weekend and I'll have no internet access until I get back on Monday, so if you guys want to powerplay or godmode Alaric in any way, that's fine with me. I'd just rather you didn't make him physically fight or anything, but you can make him say whatever you need him to, as long as it's in character, while I'm gone. But keep it to a minimum if it's not really necessary to the plot. Thanks!))